Aura

With a several General Motors recalls underway - especially ones for the Saturn Ion, Outlook, and Sky - I've received emails from quite a few folks who are concerned that their vehicles might be impacted. If you haven't received a letter in the mail from GM and you are worried, General Motors has set up an online database that's searchable by VIN.

This is my first write up so keep that in mind if I leave some stuff out, just ask. Jack the car up. And if you don’t have shade, make your own like I did. Take the rear wheel off first. Remove the caliper. I used a cut coat hanger to hang the caliper out of the way for the rest of the brake removal. The smaller bolts are for the caliper, the pink colored bolts hold the bracket on.

I went with my friend to test drive a 2011 Buick Regal. This is the car that would have been the '11 Saturn Aura. It is a beauty. I rode in it, and I consciously chose not to drive it since I was afraid it might be an expensive test drive. While I think my 2009 Aura XR 4 is a great car, the Regal is definitely a significant upgrade.

I just saw some used 2009 Saturn Auras with more than 36,000 miles on them for sale at Hertz Rental for $11-12k. Of course, these cars have been driven beyond the basic General Motors 36k mile warranty. My question is, are these vehicles still good deals if I buy an extended warranty?

A few days ago we took at look back at some of the first Saturn brochure covers. Today we have a sneak peak at what would have been the cover and front spread of the 2010 Saturn brochure. Saturn was reportedly gearing up for a big marketing push in 2010 once the Penske acquisition was completed.

Unprecedented discounts on the last remaining Saturns present an enticing case to anyone in the market for a new car, especially if you're a Saturn owner. Al Clapsaddle, senior sales consultant at Saturn/West in Ohio, sent me an intriguing e-mail the other day detailing the laundry list of incentives available until November 30 — some of which are over and above those that were advertised nationally at the beginning of the month.

Automotive News reports that General Motors is preparing what will likely be one last Saturn advertising campaign in an effort to sell the brand's last remaining 9,400 2008 and 2009 models. Susan Docherty, GM's newly appointed vice president of U.S. sales, told the trade publication that "starting next week, we'll have a print campaign which features that product. In the next 90 days, we'll have cleaned up that inventory. I'm not worried about it at all."

Jessica Anderson from Kiplinger's Personal Finance: If you're in the market for a new car, GM's loss could be your gain. Saturn's dealers have until the end of October 2010 to close, now that a deal has fallen through to sell the car line to the Penske Automotive Group. But many showrooms could close by January because inventory is low. That means the sooner you shop, the better your choices.

David Thomas from Cars.com: Current owners' warranties are still fully backed by GM and will be serviced by other GM brand dealerships — Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick. As of September 1, Saturn's total inventory was 14,700 units, according to Automotive News data. Saturn representatives say there is an inventory of 12,000 vehicles on dealer lots and in transit.

Random Article from the SaturnFans.com Archives

It's been more than three years since General Motors announced it was shuttering its "different kind of car" division. At the time, Roger Penske was attempting to purchase the brand and possibly stock it with cars sourced from plants in the US, South Korea, Mexico, or even Europe. Ultimately Mr. Penske couldn't get a deal done within GM's tight timeframes and Saturn was closed. While frantically attempting to keep up with rumors swirling around Saturn that fateful year, I made a decision to rethink the way I was collecting and reporting the news. In the midst of all the uncertainty surrounding Saturn, I began to draw up plans for new and improved version of SaturnFans.com that could not only help visitors track what Saturn news was happening, but where it was happening as it was happening.